When Shooting Stars Fall
by Masamune Reforged
Summary: Their mission failed, captured and struggling to survive, the Gundam pilots have nothing left but each other. Even the brightest stars must fall one day. Yaoi, 1x2, 4x3, angst, violence, cursing, death.
1. Default Chapter Title

When Shooting Stars Fall- A Gundam Wing fanfic

Prologue- LOSS

/…/ = Internal thoughts

*…* =Emphasis

BANG! BANG!

/No way. Not yet. It can't end like this, I won't allow it /

"Put the gun down *now* you motherfucker!" A voice screamed down the dark hallway.

  
Sounds of footfall echoed down the blackened corridor. Sweat, blood and decadence filled the air with their aroma. A gun was cocked, and then another. More footsteps, more OZ soldiers. 

"Can't lay there for much longer!" the hard voice repeated. "We got all of your little friends you know that?" The words stung like hornets. Each syllable as their own little bullet. There was a pause, somebody coughed. Then the leering voice came again; "Well there still is that braided kid. We *would* give him medical aid but unfortunately he's too close to *you* for us to do much about."

/Duo…/

More footsteps, the voice, "What's it going to be kid?"

Trowa's mind raced furiously. He was down to one last clip, and that was half-empty. He stayed motionless, crouched behind an overturned metal table. Sweat dripped down his forehead, falling to the floor. A small stream of blood trickled down, underneath the table and directly to the spot Trowa was crouching. Duo's blood. 

/ All of us are captured? No way! Maybe he's bluffing or something. Can't trust these OZ bastards. My head hurts. Quatre…Is Quatre captured too? He *has* to be alright! I have to protect him. He shouldn't have come. I told him that this mission would be dangerous. Now…/

"You friend isn't going to last much longer you know," the OZ soldier called again. "Give up, you're the last one left. Don't you care about your friends?"

Trowa's lips were parched. To hell with the mission he needed to make sure the others would be Ok. He blinked. Then through cracked throat he responded, "First tell me if Quatre is alright."

/ They don't know who Quatre is / He realized.

"I mean, t…the blond kid," Trowa shouted again. "Is…is he alright?"

Silence. Muffled whispers, the trickle of Duo's blood. Then, "We have him. He's hurt quite badly but he's still *alive*. For the time being."

/ The mission! Got to destroy the new mobile doll prototype! / Trowa furiously thought.

/ Quatre! Quatre is more important! I must realize that *he*is the most important thing right now! Fuck the mission, I promised to protect Quatre /

A gun clattered to the floor. Trowa stood up slowly, and raised his arms in the air. 

Part 1- CAPTURE

/…/ = Internal thoughts

__

Italics = flashback

*…* =Emphasis on words inside

Duo awoke with a start. He gasped for air as he inhaled water. A hand grabbed at him and smacked him on the back, causing him to spit up. His vision was blurry, he felt as though Peacemillion was bouncing around in his head. Blurry gray walls and dim lights met his awakening. He jumped to his feet, knocking away the hands that had thrown water on his face. With a curse he spun around, ready to attack his assailant. 

/Trowa? Quatre? Wh…what the hell? Where am I? /

His knees buckled as Shinigami fell to the concrete floor. Images raced through his mind. They had infiltrated the Murond Laboratory in the South Pacific. Too many OZ soldiers though. The group had gotten separated. There weren't any new mobile suits. It had just been false information leaked so they could come and be trapped. He had split up with Trowa and…Wufei.

/Wufei/ 

__

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The image of the noble Chinese dragon crumpling under gunfire spun through Duo's head again and again. Machine gun fire ripped through the flesh. Blood splattered the walls and the floor under Wufei's body. His automatic fell to the floor. Once again Duo saw the look of surprise in the Chinese boy's eyes. Wufei fell to the floor with a sickening thud. Duo shouted. OZ soldiers came running towards his direction.

/ No way! Wufei! He can't be dead. /

Finally Duo looked up from the cell floor. Trowa and Quatre were staring at him, Quatre with a concerned look on his face. Tears stung at Duo's eyes. Quatre put his hand out and took Duo's in his.

/ Boys don't cry. Boys don't cry. / Shinigami repeated in his mind over and over again.

"Shh," Quatre whispered to the braided pilot. "It'll be Ok, we'll figure something out. It'll be Ok Duo."

/ Lies. Why is he lying to me? / Duo asked himself. / It *won't* be alright. It won't be Ok. Wufei's dead and there isn't anything I can do. Wufei…Heero. Where's Heero? Wh…/

Quatre reached out and caught Duo as the American slipped back into unconscious.

BANG!

"I'm not too sure its such a good idea to let them stay in the same cell," the OZ soldier cried as he pounded his fist on the security monitor. He turned to his superior who had been watching the interaction take place on a video screen. "We killed that Chinese kid but I don't think they're going to take us seriously unless…"

"First and foremost you *need* to catch 01," the ranking officer cut him off. "His Excellency Treize does not want any slip ups. We've successfully lured them here and now 3 of the 4-surviving pilots are under our watch. But don't you realize Nichol that unless we catch 01 that all of this will be fruitless?"

Nichol bowed his head. "Yes ma'am," he muttered. He looked up again, "But Colonel Po don't you think that you're overestimating the ability of this 1 kid?"

Sally Po turned and faced the ever-inquisitive Nichol. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips, slightly wrinkling her OZ uniform. "Nichol I have seen this *one kid* in action many times. I tricked the Gundams into trusting me and now we have the potential to finish them off. I don't want Heero Yuy to fuck up our plans Nichol."

"Of course ma'am," Nichol replied. Then he muttered almost to himself, "But in the mean time we should try to get as much information from those 3 pilots as possible. We've set up interrogation and will be interrogating 03, Trowa Barton, in a few minutes."

Sally Po shook her head; "Barton won't talk. None of them will until we make them *fully* realize that we are in control of this war now."

"What shall we do then?" Nichol inquired.

"Go ahead and interrogate Barton. If he tells you nothing then I'll show them that we mean business. In the mean time we need to find Heero Yuy!"

BANG!

The cell door shut, quieted footsteps penetrated the door for a moment before leaving it in silence, save Duo's loud snoring. Quatre lay back down on his cot and looked up into the cracked ceiling. 

/ They said that Heero and Wufei are dead. / He thought to himself. / Duo confirmed that Wufei truly was gone, but Heero? I split up with him shortly before I was caught. I don't think OZ could have caught him. / 

He rolled over and coughed. He had been feeling very sick since they had locked him in the prison cell. He felt incredibly weak at times and knew that he would need medical attention soon. Shinigami chortled in his sleep and Quatre sighed. 

/ Trowa…I hope Trowa will be alright. / It was the only good thing that had happened since they had infiltrated the base. At least he had Trowa with him. He coughed again as he remembered when he had awakened to find himself in Trowa's slender arms.

__

"Am I dreaming?" he had asked. "Or is this heaven?"

Trowa had smiled and replied, "It must be heaven because you're here."

They had embraced and kissed then. Soon they were making love on the cold hard floor of the prison cell. Both aware that they were most likely being watched by an OZ camera. But it had not mattered to Quatre as he had thrust himself into his lover's body. Tongues intertwining they had given each other warmth despite the cold concrete. Feeling Trowa arch up underneath him Quatre had realized that he loved the silent assassin with all of his heart.

"What's wrong little one?" Trowa had asked. Quatre had stopped his proverbial thrusting and lay still on top of Trowa. "Don't think," Trowa had whispered into Quatre's ear. "Don't think about what might happen after this. Just please make love to me now!"

That had been all he had needed to continue his lovemaking. Duo had been unconscious on the cell floor not far away. But the two lovers heeded him no attention what so ever. As Quatre felt himself near the point of climax he noticed that Trowa's erection had gone very rigid as well. Groping his lover with a hand he continued to plunge his own member in and out of Trowa's slim figure. 

Then Trowa had cried out," Ai Shiteiru" at that moment when Quatre had emptied himself into the recesses of Trowa's body. The young Arabian felt the stickiness of Trowa's own semen on his stomach and chest. Gently he had kissed Trowa and they had remained in a gentle embrace for a long while afterwards.

Staring up into the cell ceiling Quatre's thoughts once again drifted towards the predicament that he and his lover were in. 

With a groan Heero pushed the door open to the cafeteria. The room was dark and deserted. Hobbling across the floor he made his way over to one of the refrigerators. As he opened it cold air and light seeped out making him blink. In hunger he grabbed a wrapped sandwich and began to devour it. Looking up into the light he saw his reflection on the refrigerator door.

/ I look like shit. Here I am eating like an animal while the others are captured, or worse./

He threw the last bit of the sandwich back into the refrigerator. He groaned as he stood up, putting pressure on his already injured right leg. He let out a sharp cry as he felt the pain shoot through his body. 

"I have to finish this mission. I have to destroy this base, even if it kills me," he said to himself.

/ But what about Duo? / He asked himself / He might still be alive. I have to protect him /

/ He's just going to get in the way! Heero no baka! I must complete this mission, even if it means killing him. It's probably the best way /

He staggered towards the door, his right leg sharply hurting him as he walked. Finally he reached the door and stopped to catch his breath. He leaned up against the wall and thought for a moment. Weighing his options, trying to figure out the best next move.

/ Duo never even gave any sign that he cared for me. / He thought sharply to himself / Even if I did rescue him what would it matter? I could never tell him how I felt. I can only imagine what he'd say. "Whoa! Mr. Perfect Soldier is a queer? I would never have expected it from you!" something like that would be the response from that beautiful braided American /

Opening the exit door he quickly checked to make sure no OZ soldiers were nearby. Slowly he began to trudge down the dimly lit corridor, and then he stopped.

/ There were *no* lights on in this hallway before / he suddenly realized. 

Whipping around he saw an OZ officer aim a submachine gun at him. He turned and tried to run the opposite way. His right leg gave a sharp snap as he did so and he fell to the ground. 

The clamber of footsteps, the buzz of lights being turned on, a cough and Heero Yuy was then in handcuffs.


	2. Default Chapter Title

Part 2- EXECUTION

/…/ = Thoughts

*…*= Emphasis

__

Italics = flashback

"…"

"Please Barton just cooperate with us and nobody will be hurt," Nichol told the silent circus performer. "You know your situation is bad so why keep fighting?"

"…"

"Look Barton I'm not going to torture you or abuse you but someone is going to get hurt if you don't start talking! I respect you Gundam pilots but you're still my enemy."

"If we give you the information OZ desires then we will be executed," Trowa replied, keeping his face steady. "You seem to be a decent man Lt. Nichol, it's too bad that we are enemies."

"What kind of person I am doesn't matter," Nichol snapped. "All that matters is that I'm an OZ soldier and that comes before anything else. The same holds true for you as a Gundam pilot, or at least it should."

Trowa simply showed a hint of surprise on his face and Nichol continued, "It's obvious to me that you have a *thing* for that blond boy, Quatre."

"Ha," Trowa gave a sarcastic laugh, "How'd you manage to figure that out? By watching us fuck in the jail cell?"

Nichol reddened a bit but replied, "Actually I shut down the security cameras when I saw what you were up to. I do believe in respecting people's privacy, even if it's an enemy's."

Trowa simply stared at the OZ lieutenant in front of him. Nichol got up from his chair and walked to the door. He glanced outside of it and then said, "Listen Barton. All I'm trying to tell you is that if you don't start talking soon then something might happen to your loved one."

Trowa kept his composure although his heart began to beat wildly. 

/ Maybe he's bluffing. Maybe he's trying to come off as a nice guy but all he wants is the information /

"Barton all we at OZ want to know is where we can find the people that give you orders. They are slippery and we have not been able to get our hands on them. Just tell us how we can find them and…" Nichol stopped speaking.

"And then you'll execute us all anyway," Trowa gravely said. "That is the way it'll be anyway."

Nichol sighed and faced the green-eyed boy. "The choice is yours Barton," he said.

/ Quatre wouldn't want me to disclose any information/ Trowa told himself. /He'd be disappointed in me. We have to get out of this somehow. I told him that…I'd protect him, always. But it turns out that I have no ability to do that at all /

"We're really fucked up a creek now huh?"

Quatre nodded to his braided friend as they sat in the dim cell. He was worried about Trowa, the interrogation had been going on for awhile and he just hoped that Trowa was alright. In the mean time he was racking his brain for a possible escape plan. Then a thought struck him.

"We could break out of here," he began. Duo looked at him. "If…if one of us was able to fake a sickness then OZ would be forced to transport him to another area. When they do that all three of us could make a rush for the door and…"

"Most likely we'd be gunned down in the process," Duo darkly commented. "Look Quatre, I may be the cheery Shinigami, but I know when we're fucked. And this time we're really fucked. While we're being held here we have no choice but to sit and wait for an opportunity to arise."

"And what if that never happens?" Quatre asked. "What if the cards don't end up in our favor this time?"

Duo lay back and looked up at the ceiling. He'd never have guessed that it would turn up this way, with two of them already in bodybags and the others caught and rotting in jail. For a moment as he looked up at the ceiling he seemed to see the faces of all the people that were dear to him.

/Solo, Hilde, the other pilots, Wufei…damn I'm sorry Wu-man. Heero…Heero can't be dead. It just seems so unlike him to have been taken down while on his own. You'd have thought he'd have at least blown up half the base with him /

"Thinking about Heero?" Quatre asked. 

/ I sometimes wonder *how* the hell Quatre does that / Duo thought. / Heero Yuy, the perfect soldier. He's so cold at times but I can't ever stop feeling attracted to him. /

Quatre coughed again and muttered a curse under his breath. Had he a mirror he could have seen that his usually noble composure had been lost. His hair was out of order and dirty; his face had brown dirt streaks in some places. He had lost weight and was dressed in ugly brown prison suits; the one he was wearing was much to big for him and drooped off of his small figure. Then the door to their cell opened.

BANG!

And Heero Yuy was roughly thrown inside of a dimly lit cell. He looked up hoping to see signs of Duo or Trowa or Quatre or Wufei, but mostly Duo. 

"Don't get your hopes up," the guard that had brought him in sneered. "You're in solitary confinement 01. They all think you're dead so we can't brighten their sprits by having *you* suddenly appear. It would make us look silly."

The guard roughly grabbed Heero by the neck and threw him into a corner of the room. Heero felt a large hand smack him on the back of the head. The guard shackled his arms to the bed so that Heero was able to lie down on the bed and not much else. Then the guard brought out another pair of shackles and grabbed Heero's legs. Roughly pulling them apart he forced the rusty metal shackles to close around Heero's ankles. Heero kicked at the larger man but all in vain as the mammoth guard gave him a sharp blow to the head. Heero felt a ring cut him across the cheek. 

"That oughta do for now," the guard grunted as he snapped the shackles into place. Heero was now completely restrained with his legs spread apart in a very suggestive manner. "Unfortunately I gotta go do work some place else," the guard mocked, standing up and heading for the door. "But just don't move and I'll be back before ya know it."

Quatre wrapped his arms around Trowa tighter and whispered in his ear," I'm so glad you're alright." He gave his lover a kiss and hugged him again, tears beginning to form in the corner of his crystalline eyes. 

Duo made a small sucking noise while the two lovers held each other. Finally as the two turned their attention back to Duo he found his voice again.

"You guys are…are GAY?!?!" he bellowed at the top of his voice. His Prussian eyes grew wide and Shinigami looked very much like a fish with his mouth wide open. 

Quatre reddened in the face but Trowa stepped in front of the small Arab and glared angrily at Duo. Duo caught the full effect of Trowa's 'deathglare' before bursting out into laughter and falling to the floor. 

"I didn't think he'd take this way," Trowa said softly as the boy called Death rolled on the floor holding his stomach. 

"No no no no," Duo laughed as he regained some of his composure. "It's not that I think it's a *bad* thing that you guys are gay. It's just a shock cuz I thought I was the only one that was."

Now it was Quatre and Trowa's turn for their jaws to hit the floor. Trowa stared at the boy garbed in priest clothes with a once in a lifetime look of absolute awe. Quatre felt himself blush but felt a small hint of anger towards the braided pilot. Then he began to laugh to himself quietly, a soft chuckle.

"I always knew you had it bad for Heero," he laughed as Trowa helped Duo get off the floor. "But I just thought that…well I don't know exactly what I thought about you, but I know Heero is…"

The blond Arab suddenly lost his good spirits. Shinigami faced him with a look of sadness in his Prussian eyes. Quatre could see that Duo was thinking the exact same thing he was." 

/Heero is dead! / Quatre's brain screamed. / He's gone and there is *no* chance that he and Duo will ever be together! /

/But! Maybe…/

/ Buts and maybes all pale when faced with reality / he thought bitterly to himself. /And the reality is that Heero is dead, and that's all there is to it really/

The Deathscythe pilot walked over to Quatre and put his arm around the blonde's shoulder. Quatre looked up into the ever-dancing violet pools of Duo's eyes. Tears were beginning to form slightly in the corners. Then Quatre felt his own eyes water. But his tears did spill.

/ God, he really did love Heero. Why do things have to happen this way? Why the fuck does people like Duo and Trowa always end up being hurt? Why? /

Trowa walked over to where his lover stood weeping and took him in his arms. The silent clown squeezed the smaller boy to his chest and kissed him on the top of his head. 

BANG! BANG! 

The rickety bed clanked noisily in the small dark jail cell. Heero gritted his teeth and braced himself as the guard thrust into him over and over again. The large slob grunted in pleasure as he did so, not caring that he was causing Heero great pain. There was "no time for little details" so Heero had been forced to bear the pain of the large man's erection tear into him without any lubrication. He had almost cried out for the pain was so sharp. 

/ Just stay calm / He thought to himself as the guard brutalized him. / Don't give any reaction, don't think about it. Don't think about it/ 

The larger man then began to bite on Heero's shoulder and twist one his sensitive nipple roughly. In sudden anger Heero thrust up at the rapist but only succeeded in making the big man laugh.

"Glad you're getting into it honey," he cooed into Heero's ear as he bit down on it. Heero felt blood flow down his body from where the man had hit him. 

/ Damn him! / Heero cursed. /You bastard. Omae o korosu! You'll pay for this I swear you will! /

BANG!

The cell door opened and Trowa watched in anger as two OZ soldiers walked in keeping their machine guns trained on the 3 Gundam pilots. Trowa glanced and saw that more soldiers were standing outside, standing at attention. He wondered who it was that was going to pay them a visit. Then two more figures appeared in the doorway.

"No way!" Duo yelled in disbelief. He put his hands to the sides of his head and cursed again. "No fucking way!"

Quatre let out a small gasp as Col. Sally Po chuckled. Behind her stood Nichol, who seemed as if he was very unhappy. Trowa felt Quatre tighten his grip on Trowa. Trowa merely stared at the traitor before him, eyes showing no emotion.

"Hahahah," Sally laughed. "So surprised Shinigami?" she mocked the braided pilot. "You do know that this is war don't you? Well of course then spies are a vital part of wars."

Trowa released Quatre from his grip and gave Po a dark look. He heard Duo mutter something under his breath but kept himself focused completely on Sally. Something wasn't right; there was something wrong. Trowa just *knew* that there was a dark mood in the room at the time.

"What business do you have here?" he spat at the blonde OZ officer.

"Hmph. Never beat around the bush eh Barton?" she said, a hard, serious tone in her voice. "Well as you already know OZ wants some information from you pilots, and we want it soon." She began to pace the room and walk closer to him, the guards seemed to tense their grip on their weapons. "I don't think that you understand that right now you're all quite lucky to be alive. You don't seem to comprehend that we mean business and that unless you answer our questions, you will die."

"You can't expect us to give you information," Trowa said softly tensing up as a premonition grew inside of him.

"Oh I know that! But now only 3 of you remain, without your Gundams. Both that arrogant snot Wufei and "Mr. Perfect Soldier Heero Yuy" are now feeding worms."

At the remark about Heero Trowa saw Duo clench his fist and lunge at Sally. It would be impossible to escape but Trowa knew Duo was simply angry and couldn't control himself. Luckily Quatre ran to restrain Duo and held him back.

Sally Po smiled as she pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the two. "Now don't do anything harsh Maxwell. I'd hate to kill have to kill you too…"

/ What the hell does she mean? / Trowa asked himself. The burning premonition inside of him grew. He turned to Sally and then something in his brain clicked. / Oh God no! /

BANG!

/ Kill me too? / Quatre wondered as he relaxed his grip on Duo and stepped to the side of the American. / What the hell does…/

BANG!

/ Bitch! She won't get away for this! / Duo thought to himself. Quatre released him and he brushed his large chestnut braid back. He looked and saw Trowa face Sally.

BANG!

The world seemed to slow down then. The loud report from the gun startled Quatre for just a second. He heard Trowa scream and wondered what it was about. Then there was an incredible pain welling up inside of him. He felt his legs give out from under him as he fell to the concrete floor. Duo came to his side quickly followed by an incredibly shaken Trowa. Blood trickled on the floor, his.


	3. Default Chapter Title

Part 3- BLURRY

/…/ =Thoughts

*…*= Emphasis

__

Italics =flashback

BANG! 

The gunshot echoed in the small room. As Quatre fell Duo thought about rushing Po, but thought better to aid his friend first. Getting down on the floor next to the gentle Arab he ripped a piece of his gray prisoner uniform off and tried to bind up the wound in Quatre's chest. The wound bled profusely and showed no signs of letting the platinum blond live.

/ NO! / Duo screamed inside of his head. / Quatre! This can't be happening, not to Quatre. Why do all the important people in my life always die around me? Other people shouldn't have to get killed, especially people like Quatre/

Trowa rushed to Quatre's side, a look of despair across the normally serene face. Duo applied as much pressure to the wound as possible. Gently Trowa brushed Quatre's hair off of his face. Quatre began to shake violently.

"It's getting blurry, Trowa," he heard Quatre say.

/ Quatre can't die! / The braided Shinigami thought wildly to himself. / He's got so much to live for. Quatre, no, this…this can't happen to him /

Duo watched as Trowa brought his head down to his lover's face. The silent boy held Quatre in his arms and Duo heard them whisper to each other for a minute, maybe less, then Quatre stopped shaking. Trowa's tears fell to the silently floor and mixed with Quatre's blood. More tears joined those, and Duo realized that they were his.

/ Oh God no! /

BANG!

Trowa watched in horror as Quatre jerked back from the impact of the bullet. Millions of thoughts ran across his mind. He felt as though his heart had been twisted in agony. Quatre fell to the floor. Trowa rushed over where Duo was already kneeling, furiously attempting to stop the blood flow. Trowa reached out and brushed back the platinum blond hair with his hand. He held Quatre in his thin arms and felt as the warm blood released onto him. 

"It's getting blurry, Trowa," Quatre choked out. 

Sally Po grinned and reholstered her pistol. She turned to the two guards and quietly ordered, "Get the body and dump it somewhere. I don't care where."

"No!" 

She turned to face Nichol who suddenly realized how loud his outburst had been. He shook his head and stared Sally straight in the eyes. "Let him have this, at least let him say goodbye," he managed. "When they're done then we'll take the body."

BANG!

He grimaced as a hard blow to his face drew blood from his nose. He steadied himself and heard Sally coldly say, "Ok Nichol. We'll 'let him have this'. But don't you ever do that again! You seem to be forgetting that these are our enemies." She turned to the other guards. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me, Lt. Nichol will tell you when to remove the body." They saluted and walked out.

"Fred's sick at the infirmary so I'll be giving you your food today," the black man told Heero as he placed a tray of food next to his bed. "I'll untie you but only if you promise not to kill me. I don't have the key to the door anyway. We're both locked in here."

Heero solemnly nodded and whispered through parched mouth, "I won't kill you. It wouldn't do me any good to."

The guards flashed a smile and then undid the shackles and restraints that held Heero down. Groaning slightly Heero stood up and tried to walk. He staggered slightly but put his hand out against the wall and steadied himself. It had been almost a month since he had been captured. Almost every day and sometimes twice a day he heavy set guard would come in to "check on the prisoner". Heero had forced himself everyday to become more callous and unfeeling, even more so than Dr. J's training had done. 

He looked into the metal plate the food was sitting on and stopped. A stranger stared back at him with cobalt eyes flashing. He was considerably skinnier; he had even lost some of his muscle. His hair was ragged and dirty and he had bruises on his arms, neck and face, all courtesy of the guard, Fred. He no longer had that aura of a Perfect soldier about him. To a passerby he would simply be a juvenile criminal, a dangerous punk maybe. Hungrily he ate as the black security guard stood at the door, keeping his eye warily on Heero.

"Going to interrogate Barton again?" the blond OZ colonel asked as Nichol walked down the hallway. "He still won't talk, neither will Maxwell or Heero Yuy. It seems that the death of their comrade had no effect on them." 

Nichol turned and looked with dislike at Sally Po. "But remember that his Excellency Treize was quite upset that you so brutally killed the Winner boy. He does respect those pilots. "

"Hmph. And you do too. I see no use in keeping the pilots any further. Its clear that they won't talk and they still are a threat even without their Gundams. Oh and Lt. Nichol, do remember to try and hold your tongue. I can't imagine that you'd want me to send you back to special assignment at the animal testing lab for a month again." 

BANG!

Nichol shut the interrogation room door, still with the image of Sally Po's smiling face in his head. God how he hated that bitch. Then he saw Trowa, sitting at the table and gasped.

Trowa had lost incredible weight since he had last seen him. His brown hair which normally hung over the right side of his face was dirty and unorganized, though it still obscured the right side of his face. His one visible emerald eye had a haunted look deep in it, even more so then usual. It was obvious to Nichol that he had taken the death of Quatre in a very bad way.

"It's been what? A month since I last saw you?" Trowa engaged in conversation almost right away. "Duo told me what you did the day," his voice caught. "The day Quatre was killed."

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Nichol said. A hint of sadness in his voice. "I didn't know that Col. Po was going to kill him. It won't happen to any of you though; his Excellency Treize won't allow it."

"None of that matters anymore," Trowa quietly said. "Nothing matters now that my Quatre is gone." He looked up at Nichol, no tears in his eyes but visibly upset. "I guess you'll want to start the interrogation now," he said.

"No," Nichol replied as he finally sat down in a chair opposite Trowa. "I just wanted to apologize Nanashi." 

Trowa gave a soft intake of breath.

/How does he know that name? How could he possibly know? /

"Nanashi, I never told you my full title" Nichol stood again. "I'm Lt. Russell Nichol. I was born on L1 and lived out most of my teens and early 20s on L3." 

__

They never did keep enough lights on in the kitchen. Not in that apartment, that place of so much pain and suffering.

"Shut da fuck up Nanashi an' get me somthin' t drink! Worthless piece of shit!"

"Not true! He's a good fighter, and a great fuck! Hahaha!"

"Yeh he's real tight, but cuz he's so young dat should be expected. Hey Russ! You didn't get any of dat ass tonight did ya?"

"Do you remember me, Nanashi?"

__

"Russell is 'too moral' for that kind of stuff! He's gonna wait until he's married before he gets his nuts off!"

"Hahaha! Yo Nanashi! Get the fuck back in here with my fuckin' drink will ya?!?"

"It's just that I don't think we should be doing this to a kid!" a quiet voice said from a corner of the apartment. "He's just a kid. We could use do the same with some prostitutes."

"But dat wuld deplete our cash Russell! Where da fuck wuld we gets our supplies with?"

"We'd figure something out I'm sure. I just don't like this." A soft spoken tenor, Russell again.

"Spent some time with a rebel mercenary group on L3. That's where I got most of my battle training actually." Trowa looked at Nichol. "Didn't stay too long though."

/ He's the mechanic that stayed with us. Russ, wow, he's changed a lot since then. /

"You used to bleach you hair then," Trowa softly said, remembering an often out spoken young man fixing a car so it would break down after 10 minutes of driving it. 

Nichol just nodded.

"Did I ever tell you that you have the nicest face?" Fred the jail guard asked Heero as he pulled up his pants. "It would help if you at least played along sometimes. You ain't able to do nothing about it so you might as well enjoy."

Heero gritted his teeth as Fred roughly put his prisoner uniform back on. The large guard had come back from the infirmary and had been eager to have his way with Heero. Although Heero had to admit that he was gentler today than in many days past. 

BANG!

Heero was just wishing that Fred would at least wash the semen off of him after he raped him when the door to the cell opened, startling both him and the guard. A black man dressed in OZ uniform entered holding a submachine gun to his side. Quickly he glanced at Heero lying on the bed.

"Good, this one's still here," he said, panting for he was out of breath. "Prison break, C Block. One of them was killed trying to make a break for it. The other ran off, he fucked up a few people and we can't find him anymore. Col. Po is pissed and I thought he might have come here to try to free his friend."

/ Prison break? 'His friend'. Trowa and Duo must have made a break for an escape! /

"You need me?" Fred growled roughly. Staring at the black soldier. 

/ One of them was killed, shit, shit, Duo. /

/ Get a grip on yourself Yuy! You have to take this chance and manage to get out of here. Try to get the guard close to you, then kill him. I'm sure you'll be able to do it some way or another. / 

/ Fuck you! / Heero screamed at himself, to himself. / I *love* Duo! There! I said it! I love that braided baka more than anything else in the world. I don't care about the mission or being a Perfect Soldier/

"If there's any trouble here just hit the alarm got it Fred?" 

/Just lay low and wait for the opportunity. /

"Hey Trowa,"

"…"

"Hey do you believe in God Trowa?" the American asked. It had been almost an hour since Duo had stopped trying to converse with Trowa. The silent boy stood in a corner of the cell; arms folded and eyes shut. Then the one visible green eye opened.

"What brought this on?" he asked the boy with chestnut hair.

"I just wanted to talk to you! Get to know you a little better." Duo put his manic grin back on. "It's hard when I just tell stories about how much ass Deathscythe can kick compared to your Gundam."

Trowa shifted his weight and ceased leaning on the wall. For a moment it appeared that he wasn't going to respond. Then he finally said, "No I don't believe in God. Never really have. I used to wish that there was a God but long ago I concluded that all that was pointless."

"Yeah, know what you mean," Duo sighed. "Only real thing I believe in is Death. Closest thing to a God. Ha! Death claims everyone eventually…everybody goes straight to hell."

"I don't think so," Trowa began slowly. "I think that when we die we go someplace better. Not like heaven…but whatever place our mind thinks is closest to that." 

"Ch'!" Duo spat. "A place like Heaven! Nobody knows that for sure! All I know is that when you die everything gets blurry and fades to black."

They both stopped talking for a second as a guard slid their food tray into the room. Both sighed for a moment and then Duo glanced hungrily at the tray.

/ Yes! That potato mashed gruel stuff! Better then…what *is* that thing on the tray? /

He slowly walked over and picked it up. It was a keycard. Trowa came over and examined it carefully. "It unlocks the storage room, it cant' help us get out."

/ Damn! / Duo thought. / Or possibly…/

"Oh shit!" a voice yelled from the hallway.

"Hey what happened?" another voice asked.

"Shit! I dropped my fuckin' keycard somewhere! Shit, must be on that goddamn food tray. Yo Jason! Open that cell door so I can get my card!"

"I don't know man," a third voice said. "Those prisoners are pretty dangerous, watch your ass while you're in there."

Two sneering eyes looked through the door at Trowa and Duo. "They're just kids!"

/ That's what you think buddy! / Duo thought to himself. Wildly he gestured for Trowa to move away from the door. Then a clicking sound came as the door slid open and a red headed OZ officer walked in, gun drawn. He surveyed the room and gave another glance at Trowa and Duo. The door was still wide open!

/ Oh yes! We're going to get out of here thanks to this idiot! /

"If I were you guys I wouldn't try anything stupid," the guard nervously said glaring at Duo who was grinning like a madman. "I'll shoot you dead in a second!" He walked over to the food tray only to discover that his keycard was gone. He turned to Trowa, who was standing propped up against a wall near him and asked, "What'd you do with my card?" 

Trowa jerked a thumb at Duo and all too helpfully replied, "He's got it."

The guard turned with a snort of frustration towards Duo. He was about to speak when Trowa stabbed his neck with a fork from the food tray. He let out a quick cry. The guard was shocked as Trowa stabbed him again, finishing him off. Outside Duo could hear people talking, obviously they thought something was wrong. 

"Let's go Tro-man!" Duo yelled as he sped off towards the open door. 

Trowa nodded as he picked up the automatic machine gun the guard had dropped. Simultaneously they poked their heads out into the hallway, the first time they had been out of the cell in ages.

/ Fuck me. /Duo thought as he quickly jumped back into the jail cell. / They all got to eat lunch outside of our cell on *today* of all days! /

Trowa opened up with his machine gun, sending three of the eating OZ soldiers into the next dimension. He turned to fire on more as he realized with a sinking feeling that there were *alot* of guards there. One ran to sound the alarm, he was quickly mowed down by gunfire. 

"Come on Duo!" Trowa yelled as he made a break down the hallway, turning to shoot at the OZ soldiers who were finally recovering from the shock and drawing their guns. 

"Shit!" Shinigami yelled as he made out in a mad dash after Trowa.

/ Escaping used to be *soo* much easier than this / he thought to himself. / I wonder how I'll spend the first night out of jail? A club or host a party? Or…/

BANG! …(Actually more like the "ratatatatat" sound machine guns make)

Sharp pain ran through Duo's body as an OZ soldier found his mark. Duo crashed to the floor, skidding some on the floor before coming to a stop against a wall. 

/ Shit! Come on, get up and run! / Duo screamed to his body. 

He reached out with his arms to pull himself up but with a sickening realization found that his legs wouldn't move. Then another sharp pain shot through his leg as another OZ soldier's bullet hit him.

/No./ Duo thought with disbelief. / I'm paralyzed! Shit this is the end…funny…never thought it would end like this. Didn't even get to self detonate or anything cool like that. /

"Aah!" Duo cried as someone shot him repeatedly. He slumped over to his side and stared up at the ceiling, pain running through all of his body. 

"Enough! He's dead already!" he heard a voice shout. 

Turning his head he saw a young man dressed in OZ uniform lowering a gun, his hands were shaking as another soldier came up beside of him. Then Duo realized that the pain was beginning to leave him, he felt relaxed but ungodly tired.

/ Got to sleep for a bit / he thought to himself as he lay on the floor, his life slowly slipping away. His vision became suddenly very blurry. / And it ends like this /

/ I wish…I wish I could have told Heero how I felt b, before…before I…/ 

He coughed, blood appeared. Gunfire sounded in the background, but of course Duo could not hear it…


	4. Default Chapter Title

Part 4- BEYOND

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Who comes ungently tapping, rapping at my chamber door like a horse kicking in a stable?" Sally Po bellowed as she got up from her small kitchen table.

"Sorry dear Lenore. Simply Gundams escaping jail, only this and nothing more," Nichol quietly said through the decorative wooden door.

"Then you'll try to capture them won't you?" she replied loudly through the door.

"Yes ma'am. It will happen nevermore," Nichol replied, barely stifling a laugh in spite of the situation he was in. 

Sally Po opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Nichol quickly took note of the large handgun she was carrying. Her hair was a tangle and catsup was smudged at the corner of her mouth. Seeing the usually prim colonel in such a state would have normally allowed Nichol fifteen minutes of uncontrollable laughing, at minimum. But now the blond OZ officer was giving him her strongest "deathlook" and he figured he had better shut up and find the Gundam pilots.

"What happened?" she asked as they briskly walked down the hall towards the prison area. "Is Yuy escaped too?"

"I just got word about the prison break a second ago," Nichol humbly said. "As far as I know only Maxwell and Barton got out. I don't know what happened except that they killed some idiot and then made a run for it. I don't know what happened."

"Well send somebody over to check on Yuy. Make sure he's still there. I'll go after Barton and Maxwell."

"I've already sent a soldier to check on 01," Nichol replied curtly. "And…" He was cut off as his walkie-talkie sounded and the sound of an out of breath soldier reached his ears.

"This, is, is Alex, over. 01, huff, is still in, huff puff, his cell," the exhausted soldier reported. 02 are dead. Wheeze, repeat 02 is dead."

"How about Barton?" Nichol asked. "03, what about him?"

"Gone, he ran. He should be in B Block area to free 01. Can't find him though." 

"Idiots," Sally Po spat. "I'll be over to B Block right away. Nichol since *you* enjoy taking care of cadavers so much why don't you run down to C Block and escort Maxwell to the morgue?"

Nichol grimaced at the idea but only replied meekly, "But I believe that I would be able to be of greater assistance finding Trowa."

"That was an order Nichol! Not an invitation for you to speak your thoughts."

"Bitch," Nichol muttered under his breath as he crisply saluted and walked away.

/ Shoot, shoot, take cover, shoot, watch out behind you, listen for more troops, take cover, run, take cover, run, shoot, take cover, don't think. Don't think about anything else/ Trowa's brain commanded as he ran through the OZ facility.

He spun around and emptied the rest of his clip into three OZ soldier stepping off of and elevator. Sprinting to the elevator he got inside and grabbed the three weapons from the now lifeless hands. Shoving the ammo into his gray prisoner pants he pressed the elevator UP. 

/ A sound! Where? Left? No there! Shoot him! /

Another OZ officer fell in the line of duty as the elevator doors finally closed and Trowa began to move upward. Wiping sweat off of his face he frowned at how out of shape he had become from rotting in that jail cell for weeks, his only company, Duo…

"I'm sorry Duo," he whispered aloud, tears forming in his green eyes. Another friend lost, another comrade, gone.

/ At least you get to meet up with the others on the 'other side' / he grinned a little. / I'm all alone now. God, I never thought the day would come…what's that noise?!? /

He turned around to see the three dead bodies lying on the floor. 

/ A radio /

He picked it up and listened, "…Alex, over. 01 is, huff, still in, huff puff, his cell. 02 is dead, repeat…"

/ Heero is still alive! /Trowa's heart lifted for a second. He had to find Heero; he had to get him out of this place with him. He hit the STOP button and then sent the elevator down to B Block. / Quatre, Quatre would want me to do this. / Trowa adamantly thought to himself. / Gomen little one. But at least I can save Heero. /

BANG!

The guard outside jumped as a loud noise came from inside of the Gundam pilot's cell. Warily checking inside the guard saw that the tied and bound pilot had somehow smacked his head against the bed railing, the kid looked unconscious, or worse. Unwisely he opened the cell door and ran in, checking the prisoner he found that the boy was unconscious but his breathing was incredibly weak. Scurrying to unstrap the prisoner he quickly ran out to call for a medic and report in the incident.

Another noise startled the guard as he whipped around and saw that Heero had gotten to his feet. Wondering how the boy could have made such a fast recovery he barely managed a soft yelp before Heero snapped his jugular. Dragging the guard into the cell Heero quickly exchanged his old gray prison uniform for the OZ soldier's. The clothes were loose and too baggy, especially the pants, but they would have to do.

/ I should just keep a low profile and see if I can get out of here / he thought. 

He noiselessly walked down the hallway away from the cell. Slowly his mind drifted from his escape to Duo. The chestnut haired boy's image wouldn't remove itself from Heero's head. Two OZ soldiers ran past him, not even taking a second glance.

/ But either way I've already lost either Trowa or Duo. /Heero grimly realized. The thought of Trowa dead was almost enough to make Heero sick to his stomach. Trowa had been a great friend to him; even they were both usually silent they seemed to communicate well with one another. 

__

"You've been asleep for a month."

"You've been looking after me all this time?"

"To the rest of the world and to OZ you're dead. Maybe…maybe the rest of us should have followed your lead and died also."

"Well if you're going to kill yourself I've got one piece of advice. It hurts like hell."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"The only true way to live is by one's emotions and one's emotions alone."

/Trowa…even though that's what I told you I haven't really done that much myself. All my life I've taken orders and carried out the mission without bringing my emotions into it. And I certainly didn't follow my emotions when it came to Duo. /

"Lieutenant!" a soldier snapped to attention as Nichol passed through the jail area.

  
Nichol walked slowly up to the now roped off area and stepped inside. A medic was treating an OZ soldier for injuries and Nichol noticed another medic wheeling a limp body away on a cart. Finally a young black OZ officer walked up and saluted him.

"Lieutenant Nichol there are eight dead, and one in critical condition," the officer reported softly. "Some more are wounded but nothing fatal."

"Thanks for the report Alex," Nichol said s he surveyed the damage. "May I see the body of 02? I need to check to make sure he's dead."

Pvt. Alex shook his head. "He's dead alright," he muttered. "He's over there on that cart if you really want to look," he pointed towards an area where a medic stood hovering over something.

"Thanks, Alex," Nichol replied. "Do my one last favor and round up a couple of guys to come with me, 01's escaped too."

"Knew he would," Alex mumbled. "That kid wasn't the type to sit by while his friend's made a break for it. I'll get some troops right away."

Nichol then walked up to the cart where a body lay under a blanket. Compared to the large hulking bodies of the soldiers this one was so much smaller and for a second Nichol wondered how in the world such a person could die so young in a way as this. Finally he reached out and pulled back the sheets. Duo lay face up, a small trickle of blood on his lips, his large violet eyes showing a look of pain but relief as well. Nichol noted that the boy seemed to be smiling.

"He's close, he's close," Sally Po said frantically as she led a small group of OZ soldiers through the B Block area.  
  
Silently cursing her luck (or lack thereof) she stopped the group as a dull 'thump' came from one of the larger R&R rooms. She signaled for an ensign to come over and open the door. Doing so the man nervously kicked the door open, revealing a dark and apparently deserted room. 

Waving for the ensign to go in and search the room Sally crouched outside of the door and held her pistol ready. The ensign took a step inside.

BANG!

The sound of metal hitting metal startled the soldiers but with cat-like reflexes Sally Po dashed away from the door and threw herself down to the floor. A small metal ball spun on the floor near the ensign's feet.

BANG!

The grenade exploded suddenly sending the startled ensign and company off of this mortal coil. Sally quickly jumped to her feet and pointed her gun at the now smoke filled hallway. Finally she stepped into the R&R room and aimed a gun at a figure in gray. She cleared her throat and the figure spun around and leveled his gun at her.

"Barton," she gave as a greeting.

Trowa simply nodded back in response. He had thought that the grenade had killed all of the soldiers; now he realized that it had been foolish to presume so. Both stood, Sally barely in the doorway, Trowa calmly glaring at her with sad green eyes. 

"Omae o korosu," Trowa said with great venom in his voice. 

"Hahaha," Sally laughed, seeming to catch Trowa off guard. "I could have killed you the instant I came into this room. However I decided that it might be better if I talked to you first and then dispatched you from this Earth. You now know that OZ is going to win this war! Your Gundams have long since been melted down and OZ has complete control over the colonies and Earth. True that three of the five scientists are still missing and most likely responsible for some of the terrorist attacks lately, but they aren't that much of a concern."

"You wish me to join OZ?" Trowa asked shaking his head. He cocked his gun. "Never."

Sally chuckled again and suddenly threw her gun to the floor. Glaring at Trowa she said, "Let us finish this as person against person. What do you think?"

In response Trowa flung his gun to the ground and squared off into a fighting stance. 

"Personally I think guns would make it much more interesting," Sally sneered as she pulled another smaller pistol out of her uniform and fired point blank at Trowa.

BANG!

As Trowa limply fell to the floor Sally grinned and shook her head. Slowly she began to walk out of the room when a clicking sound sent her heart into a flutter. 

BANG!

Searing pain shot through her as a bullet dug into her right breast. "That's for Duo," Trowa said calmly as he stood with his gun in his hand, but holding his stomach.

BANG!

Sally Po cried out as another shot hit her in the shoulder. "For Wufei."

BANG!

Again she would have cried out but the bullet had shred her vocal cords. "For Quatre." Blood spit profusely from the wound in her neck. Sally Po slunk to the floor, her vision blurred. And then she was dead.

Trowa staggered as he watched with grim relief as Sally lay on the floor, dark red blood still spilling from her multiple wounds.

/ Now you are avenged. / Trowa thought as he lay down on the carpeted floor of the room.

-end part 4


	5. Default Chapter Title

Part 5- CONCLUSION

This is it! The final part! I never meant for this thing to get so long. But now it's almost finished with! Hope you've enjoyed it, I thank you for reading. Now read on…

Heero ran down the halls of B Block trying to locate the exact place the sudden explosion had come from. It had been quite easy so far, mostly due to the OZ uniform that he was wearing. 

/ Here's the place / Heero thought grimly as he saw a section of hallway with bloody walls and recently killed OZ soldiers. Slowly he walked into the room, bearing his pistol as he did so. 

/ Sally Po…/ Heero stepped over the still warm body of the traitor as he advanced slowly into the room. Suddenly something caught his eye, human legs stuck out from behind a couch. Gray prison uniform pants…

/ No God no /Heero thought furiously, completely disregarding his soldier training as emotions filled him. / Was it Duo? Are they both dead? Maybe it's not him, maybe its Trowa. It could be just a janitor / 

These thoughts and many more flashed through his mind during the short walk from the door to the couch. The body moved as it heard Heero's soft footfall no the carpet. Heero's breath was ragged; he stopped at the couch, only seeing the gray pants. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to see who it was.

/ Damn it Yuy control yourself! / The Perfect Soldier part of him cried. / Stay calm, it could be an enemy. And even if it is one of the other pilots they'd just get in your way now. You'd have to kill them to successfully complete the mission. /

/ No. The mission doesn't matter anymore. The mission was lost long ago; I just care about my friends now. /

/Friends? / The sneering hard voice that only he heard, that was his own, startled Heero. /You truly believe that these people are your friends? They work with you to fulfill their mission; they use you to fulfill their ideals and you are only for their use. You are just another tool to them. /

/ No that's not true! / Heero, the real human Heero Yuy replied to himself. / They aren't like that! They're real human people, not heartless animals like I. /

/Exactly. Then why would they ever want to be your friend? Why would they even put up with you if not for your piloting abilities? That is all you are, and that all they see you as. /

/ Maybe that's all that I show them, but it's not all there is to it. And besides you'll never know, you have no emotions. /

/ You and I are one, baka. /

/ Perhaps. But we are also separate. How else can you explain the fact that I'm standing here fighting with myself? /

A soft groan from behind the couch cut short the inner struggle between Heero and his Perfect Soldier Id. Taking a breath he stepped around the couch and felt suddenly the urge to cry as he looked down.

/ Trowa… /

The uni-banged pilot of Heavyarms lay on the floor; eyes closed and shallow breathing. Heero knelt by his friend's side and brushed away the stubborn hair that hid Trowa's face. Emerald eyes fluttered open and Trowa made a move to stand but quickly gave up on that. His mouth formed a rare smile. 

"Shimatta, so finally you make an escape attempt. I was wondering when you'd try to join us," Trowa said as Heero took a piece of cloth and attempted to stop the bleeding. Of all the times to find a sense of humor it had to be now while facing the end.

"So how has it been for you Heero?" Trowa asked. 

/ He's unnaturally talkative now. I wonder why that is? /

"Don't talk, save your strength. I'm getting you out of here once I get this wound under control," Heero sternly said. 

"Heero. Heero stop please," Trowa begged softly. "I'm not going to last much longer. But, but before I go I just wanted to tell you something."

"Trowa no baka! You'll be alright!"

"Shuttup and listen to me Heero," Trowa said with a small hint of desperation in his voice. "The best thing you can do for me now is to listen to what I have to say."

Heero stopped trying to dress Trowa's wound and brought his blood stained hands away from the Heavyarms pilot. 

"Heero," Trowa began, grasping madly for words. "Heero…Duo's dead, Heero. I'm sorry, we made a break to escape, he didn't make it."

A sharp pain ran through Heero. It was worse than self-detonation because it was an explosion from within him, tearing his heart into shreds. 

Duo, gone. His one love. The love he'd never acknowledged. The love he always told to "keep quiet" and "stop talking". He'd never hear that voice again.

/ What a fool I was to never tell him. Even if he would have laughed at me, even that would have been better than this. Duo…ai shiteiru. God I wish I could have been there for him, of all the people why him? Death can't die, right? Why couldn't I at least tell him that I loved him? /

Heero was suddenly startled as Trowa sat up and gently brushed tears from Heero's eyes. He hadn't even realized that he'd begun to cry. For a minute he continued to weep and then gained his composure as he looked up into Trowa's face. The placid green eyes seemed to calm him a bit. Neither spoke for another minute.

"Heero," Trowa broke the silence. "I know how you feel, it was the same for me when I lost Quatre." His emerald eyes flickered showing only for a second a strong emotion. "Heero, I know what it's like to lose the person you love. I'm just sorry you had to find out what it's like as well."

"You knew?" Heero asked, surprised at how his emotions could have ever been deciphered by anyone. 

"Yeah," Trowa replied simply. He coughed, then steadied himself and continued, "Heero, Duo loved you too. He told me so once, he really did love you."

Heero's look of awe was all that Trowa need to see before he coughed again and quietly said, "I'm sorry Heero but I don't have much time left. Please, please go and try to get out of here. Try to go on with your life. Perhaps we'll meet again someday."

"Trowa no. I'm not going to leave you."

"Shimatta Yuy! Go! Please, leave me and go."

  
  
"Lt. Nichol we haven't been able to get in contact with Col. Po for awhile now. Do you suppose that 03 got her?" 

Nichol turned and faced the OZ soldier that was trying to contact Sally Po. So far nobody had been able to locate Trowa or Heero. He was pretty sure that Po was dead, although she might have been just not answering.

"Let's go check on her," Nichol ordered the four soldiers with him. "Serim and Wiegraf will search from the East Side and meet us in the middle. We'll start at the West Side of B Block. Move out!"

__

BANG!

"It's getting blurry Trowa," Quatre whispered. Sadness and fear filled his crystalline eyes. Trowa bent over and held his lover to him, warm blood flowing onto his hands.

"Quatre, no Quatre please don't leave me!" Pain. Anguish. Suffering. Things Trowa had been fighting his whole life filled him then.

Surprisingly Quatre smiled at him. Trowa's eyes teared over as he felt his one love begin to slip away from him. There was nothing else but himself and Quatre now, together, one last moment. Leave it to God to make things so.

"Ai shiteiru Trowa," Quatre whispered into the Latin boy's ear. "I'll never leave you Trowa, I'll always love you. Be strong Trowa, in the end I'll be waiting for you."

"Quatre," Trowa sobbed. "I'm sorry Quatre. I want to be with you, always."

Quatre coughed fiercely, Nichol shouted something in the background. Emerald and crystal cried together. Quatre tried to brush away Trowa's tears but was too weak to do so. To Quatre the whole world went from blurry to black. A lien seemed to run through the blackness, dividing it into a warm black, Quatre could feel the deeper darkness surround him. 

"One day we'll be together forever Trowa," Quatre managed to whisper. "I'll be waiting. Trowa…"

/ Quatre, it's getting blurry / Trowa thought lying on the floor. / I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but soon I'll be with you /

Trowa groaned as the pain began to subside, or perhaps he just couldn't feel it anymore. His vision became suddenly consisted only of black, but two different kinds of black. He stood at the border of the warm black, the warmth of life slowly fading into the deeper mysterious blackness beyond him. Trowa looked into the black; he could see the outline of a figure standing there. The figure was slightly lighter than the surrounding dark that surrounded Trowa suddenly. An angel in the darkness, waiting, making him feel warm and somehow happy as he crossed into the deep blackness.

Heero walked down the dimly lit hallway as nonchalantly as possible. The OZ uniform he was wearing was slightly stained with Trowa's blood but Heero didn't care very much at that point. He was truly alone now. Quatre, Wufei, now Trowa, and even Duo had left him. With a sigh he decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and escape. He cursed himself for not having recovered any ammunition from the bodies of the dead OZ soldiers near the R&R room. He was down to six bullets.

"K'so," he mumbled as two OZ soldiers turned the corner and nearly ran into him. 

"What did you say?" one of the soldiers yelled.

The other one hit him and said, "Calm down Serim. Hey do you know where Colonel Po is?" the OZ soldier asked, turning his attention to Heero.

"I spoke with her through the radio just a minute ago," Heero lied, pointing to his radio. "I think she was heading over to A Block."

The soldier took out his own radio and punched in a frequency. Heero froze as he realized what a mistake he could have made.

/ Baka! / He thought to himself. / Po is dead! If they know that then they'll think I'm suspicious for saying I spoke to her! /

"That's 01!" 

Heero immediately pulled out his pistol and shot the two soldiers dead, then whirled around to see three more OZ soldiers running down the hall towards him, one of who was Lt. Nichol.

/ Fuck /

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Heero ran towards an open door as he returned fire at the OZ ensigns. One crumpled to the floor, the other managed to hit Heero in the shoulder. Heero's shot went astray but his second nailed the OZ soldier in the head.

BANG!

/ One bullet / He noted to himself as he dashed into the dark room and closed the door behind him. Nichol fired wildly as he did until he too was out of bullets.

Inside Heero suddenly realized that he was in a bedroom, no windows, one door, no way out. Moving to the door he heard Nichol swear and then reload his pistol and then try to open the door. The small wound in his shoulder hurt him but only ever so slightly. He looked around the room for any possible exits, ventilation shafts, anything. 

"Can you hear me 01?!?" Nichol shouted through the thick metal door. "I've called for backup and you'll be in our custody soon. Please, do us both a favor and come along with us quietly." 

/ So I can be raped and then decay in a cell? Never! This mission is lost but… /

"Damnit 01 listen to me!" Nichol yelled again. "If you don't come out and surrender then you'll be killed and dragged away to the fuckin' morgue! You don't want that do you?"

"Actually I don't think I'd mind very much," was Heero's stolid response. "I've failed me mission, lost my friends, lost everything. The war is over, and that means I no longer have any place in this world."

Silence, the kind that spoke louder than anything else ever could.

"I respect you 01," Nichol replied, more softly this time. "But you still are a human being and you have a soul. You could start over again. Try to live a normal life."

/ I can't restart my life like nothing ever happened. / Heero thought. / I've killed countless people, caused so much destruction, lost my friends and lost Duo. Those memories will forever stick with me…there is a way out of this room. /

"01 please come out with your hands up and surrender!" more soldiers, reinforcements have arrived.

"Give me a minute," Heero yelled.

/ T, this way I can see Duo again. My sweet Death, this is the way to you. This is the way out, the way to fulfill the mission. /

The cold barrel of the gun tasted cold and strange on his tongue. Heero heard voices outside the door talking. But they didn't matter anymore. 

/ This is the only way. Death! I'm coming! /

BANG!

~owari~


End file.
